Category Archives: Podcast Episodes

Ep. 174 – Selling Through Storytelling, Part 4

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-2One of the most powerful aspects to using storytelling as a sales tool is how dramatically it can change prospect reaction during your initial consultations. Not only can it help you disqualify prospects more easily, but it can even help you nail down an agreement in principle about their need for your product or service. With the right kind of storytelling techniques, you can supercharge your sales results.

In part four of this ongoing series, host and business coach Tom Ryan revisits the core concepts of sales-focused storytelling, and explores the right way to gauge prospect reaction. Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 173 – Developing the Confidence it Takes to Lead a Business: An Interview with Get Out Mama’s Mara Watts, Part 4

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Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

When Mara Watts was still in elementary school, she had plans to start her own business. Not just any business, but a project that would have meaning and ultimately help people. As the founder and CEO of Get Out Mama, she’s finally taken her first steps towards living up to that 5th grader’s dreams.

In this final installment of the interview with Mara, host and business coach Tom Ryan and co-host and co-producer Natalie Pyles talk about the challenges of running a business while being a full-time mom, why motherhood is great training for being an entrepreneur, and what it’s really like to work with Tom. Continue reading →

Ep. 172 – Offering a Valuable Service to the Market: An Interview with Get Out Mama’s Mara Watts, Part 3

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Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

If you want an honest, straight-shooting assessment of your restaurant or retail location’s bathroom, ask a mom about it. A woman who has to change a diaper learns pretty quickly which locations are well-maintained, and which are disgusting and grungy. If Mara Watts, founder and CEO of Get Out Mama, has anything to say about it, every restroom in the greater Asheville, NC, area will soon be ranked by a crowd-sourced army of hygiene-focused mamas.

In today’s episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan and co-host and co-producer Natalie Pyles continue their conversation with Mara, discussing everything from organizing startup events to the untapped power of stay-at-home moms for market research. Continue reading →

Ep. 171 – Writing the Right E-book: An Interview with Get Out Mama’s Mara Watts, Part 2

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Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

If Mara Watts is right, stay-at-home moms might just be one of the biggest untapped workforces of the 21st century. It’s an idea she explores in her eBook, Make Money, Mama!. In addition to being a helpful guide for contributing to the household income, Mara’s book has proven to be an effective and engaging work of content marketing for her business, Get Out Mama.

In today’s episode, co-producer and occasional co-host Natalie Pyles continues her interview with Mara, aided by host and business coach Tom Ryan. Continue reading →

Ep. 170 – Creating a Local Network: An Interview with Get Out Mama’s Founder Mara Watts, Part 1

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Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

Get Out Mama founder Mara Watts

Shortly after the birth of her first child, Mara Watts wasn’t feeling like her usual, bubbly self. She was in a dark place, struggling with the isolation of postpartum depression. In her recovery from the isolation of depression, she realized that she couldn’t possibly be the only new mom going through this experience. There was a need for community building among new moms. Thanks to Mara’s entrepreneurial spark, Get Out Mama was born.

In addition to running Get Out Mama, Mara is also the Program Manager for the Kauffman Foundation Entrepreneur In Residence program, working alongside Success In Business host Tom Ryan. To keep the conversation fresh on today’s episode, Tom hands over the show’s reins to co-producer and occasional co-host Natalie Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 169 – Selling Through Storytelling, Part 3

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-2Every customer has a problem that needs solving. The better you understand that problem, the more likely it is that they will decide to spend their money on your solution. There’s no better way of demonstrating how well you understand their struggles, pains and frustrations than by telling them a story about another prospect with a similar problem, and how your products or services were able to make that problem disappear.

In this episode of the Success In Business Podcast, host Tom Ryan explains how the right kind storytelling can do more than simply open doors during the sales process. It can build trust, set expectations, and even help with the tricky business of qualifying prospects. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 168 – Selling Through Storytelling Part 2

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-4Once they’re through with the pleasantries and the basic questions that make up the start of an initial sales call, most sales reps make a huge mistake. Instead of telling a story compelling story about another client in the similar position, they dive right into talking about their company’s product or service. Instead of feeling like a conversation between two people, it starts to feel like a sales pitch.

In this episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan continues his exploration of storytelling as a sales technique. As always, Tom is joined by producer and co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 167 – Selling Through Storytelling Part 1

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SIBP-Blog-NEW-2Your first conversation with a prospective client or customer can be a balancing act. During that initial discussion, you’re doing more than just gathering some basic details. You’re qualifying them, gauging how serious their interest is, and trying to determine how well their needs align with your products or services. At the same time, it’s absolutely vital to keep their attention.

There’s no better way to do that than to tell them a good story. As it turns out, you had another client in a very similar situation, and they came to you for help …

In this episode, host and business coach Tom Ryan begins his series on changing your sales results through effective storytelling techniques. As always, Tom is joined by producer and co-host Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 166 – How a Business Partnership is Like a Marriage: An Interview with Grava Bike Co., Part 4

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Grava Bikes, straight from the paint booth.

Grava Bikes, straight from the paint booth.

In a marriage, one of the thorniest issues tends to be managing money. As Grava Bike Co. co-founders Jeff Welch and Shawn Moore explain, a business partnership is kind of like a marriage where the only thing to think about and talk about is money. Handled poorly, a business partnership can easily turn into a stressful and tense situation. Not surprisingly, both Jeff and Shawn believe strong communication to be key to a long-lasting business partnership.

In today’s episode of the Success in Business podcast, host and business coach Tom Ryan continues his conversation with Jeff and Shawn. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →

Ep. 165 – Listening for the Pearls of Wisdom from Manufacturers: An Interview with Grava Bike Company, Part 3

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Grava Bike's Revenuer frameset

Grava Bike’s Revenuer frameset

What business misstep would you take a mulligan on? For Jeff Welch and Shawn Moore, co-founders of Grava Bike Co., that do-over might be starting a bike shop in the first place. As it turns out, running a retail location while trying to get an internationally sourced manufacturing business of the ground takes a lot of work.

In today’s episode of the Succes in Business podcast, host and business coach Tom Ryan continues his conversation with Jeff and Shawn. As always, Tom is joined by co-host and producer Jason Pyles. Continue reading →